Many tenants in Beaches-East York have relayed frustrating experiences with ‘problem landlords’ and property managers when requesting needed repairs to their apartment or when they complain about poor building maintenance. Unresolved complaints for outstanding repairs and building maintenance issues seem to be the bane of the existence of many tenants in the City of Toronto. Although your rental agreement clearly outlines the rights and responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord, some landlords and property managers do not comply with the regulations set out in the “RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT”

Here is what tenants have been telling us:

Absence of tenant associations – The most common concern is the challenges faced when attempting to establish a tenants association in order to help tenants resolve complaints and violations. Tenants tell us landlords do not encourage this activity and that landlords remove any notices related to organizing tenants from the communal notice board. The security guards are also instructed to remove any pamphlets and flyers related to this activity. It was suggested that since the security guards remove these while doing their rounds between 4:00 pm and midnight the tenants should deliver the flyers either after midnight or around 6:00 am and that flyers should be inserted carefully so that they are not visible from outside the doors. The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 clearly states that: “It is an offence to try to prevent a tenant from forming a tenants’ association or taking part in one.”

Violations by landlords and property managers – Tenants are confused by the longwinded process in place to resolve offences and/or violations committed by landlords. They feel helpless about the delaying tactics used by landlords when needed repairs are requested.

Landlord attitude – Tenants are intimidated by uncooperative landlords who show little or no respect for tenants. Some landlords do not take tenant complaints seriously and have the tenants going around in circles. The upshot is that tenants have to endure the violation or move out.

Language barriers – Tenants are unable to communicate their complaints effectively to the landlord due to language barriers. Within recent years this has become one of the greatest challenges to establishing tenant associations.

Written communications – Tenants are unaware of the effectiveness of written complaints and are more comfortable with verbal communications.

City officials– Some tenants have indicated they complained to Toronto City officials about outstanding repairs and building maintenance issues and yet these remain unresolved. They have expressed concern about the attitude of City inspectors and question their impartiality when violations are reported. Important note: Building code violations come under the jurisdiction of the City of Toronto and you may want to check out the document titled “Code of Conduct for Chief Building Official and Inspectors” at this link: http://www.toronto.ca/building/pdf/building_codeofconduct_05oct28.pdf. This document clearly states that the Chief Building Official and Inspectors are required to “Apply the Building Code Act and the Building Code impartially, without influence and in accordance with all applicable legislation.”

An equally important aspect of the building code violations that tenants should not overlook is the the Multi-Residential Apartment Building (MRAB) Audit and Enforcement Program. You can contact the Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) department for Toronto and East York District at 416-397-9200 to request that a building inspector be sent to your building to inspect outstanding repairs and violations. Tenants can also contact MSL by using the 311 phone number to lodge complaints.The Toronto Municipal Code PropertyStandards bylaws are available here.

Challenges to establishing and maintaining a tenant association:

Establishing and managing a tenant association requires a reasonably good understanding of landlord and tenants rights based on the regulations outlined in the Residential Tenancies Act. In order to keep the association going you need individuals with commitment, time and energy – a challenge, it seems, during these busy times.

Tenants also mentioned that the cultural differences and language barriers in the tenant population have impacted their ability to organize tenants associations. While the language issue can be an impediment to establishing an association there are some sectors of the tenant population that come from cultures that do not encourage dissent or activism.

NOTE: An idea worth considering is to establish a ‘tenants boot camp’ for the purpose of acquainting tenants with their rights and responsibilities and also give them a much needed sense of empowerment.

The above CMHC link also provides advice and guidance to tenants on how to resolve both types of repair problems.

There are also other building maintenance issues:

a) Tenants are subjected to annoying noises associated with irregular maintenance of elevators or malfunctioning heating systems and also ageing plumbing in dire need of repair and maintenance. These violations interfere with the quality of life of tenants. Some of these noises can also be related to lack of soundproofing.

b) The building has inadequate and irregular garbage disposal that tempts tenants to scavenge discarded items and store these in their units. This could have implications for health and safety of residents.

c) Nowadays many tenants are faced with bed bug and cockroach infestation that can take a toll on their daily lives. Some landlords do not take this problem as seriously as they should. For more information on this issue check this link: Cockroach & Bed bug pests

d) We also must not overlook the question of security as it relates to malfunctioning security cameras and tenant safety. These types of maintenance issues should be handled in a similar manner as all types of repairs.(SPECIAL NOTE: Information related to noise violations committed by tenants is available at our link Problem Tenants.)

2. Next, submit complaints in writing to the landlord/property manager and make sure you keep a copy for your files. (Make sure you check Page 6 of the FMTA publication GETTING REPAIRS DONE as it contains a ‘sample complaint letter’ that you can use as a guide to create your own specific complaint to the landlord). It is very important to keep accurate documentation related to your complaint. Some landlords tend to ignore verbal complaints. In addition to your letters of complaint you should maintain a complaints log of events where you document everything related to your complaint. FMTA website: https://www.torontotenants.org/

4. Make sure to check out your local community centre where services are provided in several languages. Go to our Community Centres link where we have listed some of the community centres located in Beaches-East York. In addition, you can also get in touch with FMTA(Federation of Metro Tenants Association) which is an organization that helps tenants establish tenant associations as well as provide various services for tenants across the GTA.

5. If all your efforts are to no avail then, as a last resort, do not hesitate to filea T2 or T6 application at the Landlord and Tenant Board at this link: http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/ltb/forms-filing/#tenant-forms. Ask the board for financial compensation from the landord and also request that the landlord pay a fine to the Board.

You can download a copy of the T2 or T6 form at these links below:

T2 & T6 applications

NOTE: The Residential Tenancies Act allows tenants to file a Form T6 (Tenant Application about Maintenance) to resolve outstanding maintenance violations. Since the T6 form is much more complex than the T2 form tenants should check the Landlord and Tenant Board website at this link: http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/ltb/forms-filing/#tenant-forms to obtain detailed instructions on how to proceed with filing a Form T6.

DO NOT WITHHOLD YOUR RENT AS THIS COULD LEAD TO EVICTION. There is a provision under the Residential Tenancies Act that allows you to pay rent directly to the Landlord and Tenants Board and not to the problem landlord. The Board has provided the Request to Pay Rent to the Board form for that purpose. See this link: http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/ltb/forms-filing/#tenant-forms

The tenant can access detailed information on how to pay rent to the board when you case goes before the Board. It is also recommended that tenants check the TENANTS SURVIVAL MANUAL published by the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations for helpful information on the T6 Application. If you do not feel confident about doing this alone, go to Legal Assistance for help with the process.

Remember— you are not asking for special treatment or something to which you are not entitled. The landlord has to ensure that, in return for tenants paying rent, tenants will enjoy all amenities in their building. The Annual Guideline Rent Increase allows landlords to increase your rent annually by an amount based on the Consumer Price Index. This ‘annual guideline increase’ is under the jurisdiction of the Ontario government and tenants should be vigilant against any attempt by the landlord to implement Above Guideline Increase that are not eligible capital expenditures. According to the regulations of the Landlord and Tenant Board, that annual increase granted to landlords is “designed to take into account increases in landlords’ building maintenance and operating costs in order to protect tenant safety and health.” Tenants are therefore justified in expecting an acceptable level of building maintenance in exchange for rent paid to the landlord. It is also recommended that you check our link Renting Regulations for regulations regarding the Annual Guideline rent increases as well as the annual interest payment your landlord is required to pay you on your Last Month Rent (LMR).

Finally, we must not forget that the federal government provides incentives to the private market and ownership sector and has distanced itself from the issue of ‘affordable housing’ for renters. Tax breaks should also be forthcoming to tenants to offset rent increases in these challenging economic times.

You pay rent and abide by the conditions of the rental agreement and are therefore entitled to enjoy the amenities in your building. Repairs should be done in a reasonable time. And a certain standard of building maintenance is a right – not a privilege!

15 Responses

The ranee management landlord at gamble is a a hole . Period. Moved a garbage bin for my cousin car and he started to yell at me for moving it saying he needs it there to grab it with the tractor but no tractor in sight. Rude and really talks like a idiot. Ranee Management all of it are bad period. To hire idiots as landlords who talk to people like thugs is evidence of that and not to mention the buildings at gamble are a dump. Hard to get repairs period. They fixed the outside but still many problems including people throwing trash from balconeys

In the meantime, here’s some interesting reading about a CORRUPT LAND LADY.

Enjoy!

I want to flag a property owner.

DO NOT RENT at 269 DONLANDS AVENUE!

This is a fourplex (house) at Donlands & Mortimer.

I am moving out at the end of September because the land lady, VIVIAN, is completely unprofessional, neglects her responsibilities and takes advantage of her tenants.

Here is a list of complaints / issues that I have reported to the Landlord and Tenant Board, City of Toronto, and MPP Peter Tabuns:

Vivian has a long history of questionable behaviour, so I have summarized some key facts below:

Vivian once asked me to represent her in a COURT CASE against another tenant. I refused to do this.

The maintenance worker rarely cleans up after himself after working in my unit. He is also unreliable in terms of keeping appointments.

Vivian altered our payment arrangement without my consent.

When I was first making arrangements to move into the unit Vivian asked for a UTILITIES DEPOSIT. This is ILLEGAL—The only deposit a landlord can ask for is first and last months’ rent. I was unaware of this law when I gave Vivian a utilities deposit for $150 in October 2010.

Vivian takes long trips to Greece in the summer and winter months. She does not check her e-mail regularly when she is out of the country, nor does she provide a phone number at which she can be reached.

More often than not I have to question Vivian in terms of how she calculates the UTILITY BILLS. Quite often there are DISCREPANCIES. In fact, Vivian recently asked me to pay more than my share for the hydro bill. I refused. Vivian also expects her tenants to pay bills in advance when she goes away for extended periods.

For over a year Vivian stored lumber, furniture and other flammable items in the common area outside my basement unit. These items sat directly across from the furnace room. I had no other choice but to phone the FIRE MARSHAL because Vivian refused to remove these hazardous items.

When the fire marshal completed an inspection, it came to my attention that a number of FIRE EXTINGUISHERS in the house were EXPIRED.

Vivian failed to provide road salt for the property this past winter. I share the responsibility of clearing snow and ice on the property and was unable to keep the property safe. I had a BYLAW OFFICER come to inspect—He ordered Vivian to clear the snow and ice.

I find myself questioning the LEGALITY of some of the terms in the lease. For example, Vivian expects her tenants to perform yard work in the summer and clear snow in the winter. She does not provide rent abatements in return for completing these tasks. I have stopped performing these tasks for Vivian.

I brought a number of maintenance issues to the LANDLORD AND TENANT BOARD. A hearing was held in March 2014. Among other orders, the Board ordered Vivian to have the laundry room cleaned once a month. She has refused to do so. Generally speaking, Vivian neglects the interior common areas of the house.

Vivian is extraordinarily unprofessional when corresponding on e-mail.

I suspect that Vivian is taking advantage of the older Greek couple that lives on the top floor. I have spoken to the daughter of this couple; she has taken Vivian to court a few times. Generally speaking, all the tenants at 269 Donlands have had issues with Vivian.

What on earth is the problem with elevators at 165 Barrington Ave? One or all of these elevators keep maiking strange noises. This could not be safe for tenants. I have been livng here for a few years and every year there is a probelms with the elevaters Ranee Management needs to get the maintenance people to check out them out. Do you know who is reponsible for elevator mantenance in Toronto and who I can submit a complaint? Please advise.

I would like to know if there is new information regarding the auditing project by Municipal Standards and Licensing of apartment buildings. I live at 165 Barrington Ave and have brought certain noise violations to the attention of Ranee Management who are the current property owners.This building should be audited.

I submitted additional concerns in writing to the property manager about a recurring thudding sound that occurs usually late at night and/or early morning that disturbs my sleep and that of other tenants. Depending on the time of year the thudding might stop and then recurs at another time of the year. The property manager responded with a letter advising me to discuss the noise issue with the superintendent. I did, and the superintendent (with a straight face) stated categorically that there is absolutely no noise in the building. I reminded the super that another tenant who was a long time tenant had complained about the noise over a year ago and that she (the super) witnessed the noise first hand while in attendance at the tenant’s apartment. Without missing a beat or displaying any discomfort the super said that ‘It’s probably the line you are in’…. whatever that means! I updated Ranee management in writing of the discussion with the super but never received an acknowlegement.

Incidentially the previous property management (Oakbrook Developments) was aware of the noise and indicated to tenants it was either a problem with the water tank, or the elevator cables, or ageing plumbing and pipes, or the heating system, or the ventilation fans. Tenants were also told the noise has to do with the ‘line’ the tenant’s unit is in – a very unsatisfactory if not insulting response. So, why don’t they go and fix the problem with the ‘line’?? Tenants were told that the problems were being investigated but the problems remain.

Just over two weeks ago (around the 3rd week in November) a tenant on the 6th floor had the awful experience of a huge flood in the early hours of the morning after 1:00 am. The superintendant, security and other maintenance staff were on hand to deal with this. This is the second big flood this particular tenant had to deal with in the past year or so. Water flowed down through to some of the lower floors as well. As with the previous flood the water was gushing into the corridor and flowed toward the elevator. I have no idea of the extent of damage to the tenants belongings but heard it had to do with the pipes.

Earlier this year I emailed the MLS office about an audit notice posted at 165 Barrington to notify them that the address on the notice was incorrectly stated as #156 Barrington and not #165. Oddly enough, that notice was not posted in a visible spot at the front and back entrance of the building that are normally used by tenants. Instead it was only posted at the rarely used north east exit that leads to the back lawn. I received an email response from the Building Audit Team providing the following clarification:

“The Notice posted in your building states that we are auditing 156 Barrington Ave and that our mobile office will be on site at the above property. The notice posted at 165 Barrington Ave is just notification to the Tenant of the building that we are in the area namely 156 Barrington and are free to drop by the mobile office to obtain information pertaining to the property standards requirements for Multi-residential apartment audits.”

The notice was taken down within 2 days of my contact with the Building Audit Team.

Why was that notice posted in an obscure location rather than in obvious locations such as the front and rear exits normally used by tenants? Very few tenants were even aware of that MLS notice posted at the north-east exit at 165 Barrington Ave. This building needs to be audited by the MLS to ensure that any violations are dealt with appropriately and promptly.

In one of my earlier letters to the Ranee Management I raised questions as to whether there were fundamental issues with the mechanical systems or construction of the building.. I was reassured in writing that they weren’t any. Yet the problems continue. This building needs to audited.

My building also needs quite a lot of repairs. Those maintenance people don’t do a good job. They came to fix the kitchen cuppboards and it is more like a patchwork. This is an old building and so much needs to be fixed. Landlords don’t really care about tenant comfort. All they care about is hiking rents and making fat profits.

Conditions in this building are so awful since Ranee Management took over. The whole place is like living in a slum, so much garbage and dirt all over the place. The whole building needs a proper cleaning. That worn out piece of carpet at the main entrance is disgusting and should be replaced. It is embarrassing to bring friends here. The laundry room is a disaster and more than half the washing machines are not working. We lose money all the time and when we call that number for service we have to leave a message. We saw a tenant washing her huge 9×12 carpet on the floor of the laundry room! She was filling up buckets of water and pouring it on her carpet. And we PAY RENT to live in this horrible slum. The problem is that good tenants who are fed up just keep moving out. Those of us who can’t move have to get together and form a tenant association.

There seems to be so many frustrated tenants out there due to substandard maintenance and repairs and delaying tactics of landlords when you make a request. A word of advice to tenants — have all communications with the landlord in writing. So many landlords have no respect at all for tenants. It is also very important to keep a copy for your records if you ever have to go to the Landlord and Tenant Board to resolve violations. I am talking from experience. Very good that you have advised tenants on the importance of documentation. Simply ‘talking’ without having a written document to support what you are saying does not work unless you have a credible witness to back up your story.And a good functioning tenants association comes in handy especially if those running it are knowledgeable about landlord violations. Sometimes these so-called legal or paralegal people are not much use at all and are not well-trained to represent you properly … all they want is your money and they can sure waste your time.

I have been living in this building for quite a long time and am familiar with that dull thudding noise that occurs at the times the previous commentor referred to. It wakes you during the night and during the early morning hours. A couple of times I complained about it to management (both Ranee Management and also Oakbrook Development) & was told that it was eithier the water tank on the roof, or the plumbing, or heating system or something to do with a fan and they were looking into it. Sometimes it stops for a while and then it starts up again. If I am at home during the day that thudding noise is not so obvious as there are more everyday noises during the day. For the record, that thudding noise was quite bad this past easter holiday weekend. That noise is clearly illegal and tenants should not have to put up with it. It is very odd that it occurs only certain times of the year. Why on earth has the landlord allowed this to continue for so long? This problem has to fall under violations mentioned in this article. Whatever might be the cause of this noise problem it shoudl have been fixed by the landlords a long time ago. Talking to management about building violations is a waste of time in this building. Why don’t we all get together and take this problem to the Landlord and Tenant Board. The landlord would have to pay a fine and we should ask for financial compensation.

I have been a tenant at 165 Barrington Ave for a few years and wondered about that strange thudding noise that occurs usually before midnight and continues on and off until around 2 am. It disturbs my sleep. A couple of long-term tenants I spoke with said that it has been going on for a very long time. It seems to be worse at certain times of the year. Is there some underlying problem with the construction of this building? Sure hope we don’t have an explosion here as they did at the Secord Ave building two years ago. Apparently the landlords, Ranee Management, have been aware of this for some time but the problem has not gone away. This inconvenience has got to be a violation of property standards as it is certainly interfering my enjoyment of the building. I am reluctant to move as this location is good for the kids school and shopping and also TTC. How come they are planning major renovations in this building by replacing all the windows and have also done some minor and superficial improvements to the building but they are ignoring something as important as this ongoing annoying noise. We need to raise this with the City Inspector’s office. As a matter of fact I will contact the City about this as this is a very serious matter..

I would like to share my experience with you about residing at one address in East York for over 30 years. During that time I have seen a few apartment building owners as well as property managers and superintendents come and go. I have had all kinds of challenges dealing with difficult property managers and landlords and have learned a valuable lesson from those experiences. That is, the importance of documentation.

During year 2005 my request for a replacement refrigerator for a frost-free one was denied. My research into the year of the appliance indicated that it was a 1972 vintage and that it should be retired. I enlisted the help of my prepaid legal lawyers who directed me to put in a claim with the Tribunal for such matters. My Prepaid Legal lawyer’s letter to the new male Property Manager was ignored. I called in the East York Health Inspector concerning these matters. He contacted the Property Manager and along with documentation and subsequent letters by me to the Property Manager we were delighted with the subsequent results. I received a new stove and a few months later, a new refrigerator.

These proceedings took almost two years of correspondence and I considered it an exercise in patience. I did not have to pay for these new appliances. At times it was frustrating that a simple matter of replacing old appliances should encounter such a long and drawn out procedure. Expenses incurred included cost of mailings and correspondence to the various legal people and the Property Manager.

For the above proceedings I found that documenting everything that occurred during the period of the claims was very important and helpful. I was able to provide my legal advisors with ammunition for positive results to get my requests granted. Your section on Residential Tenancies Offences has been most helpful and I totally agree with your emphasis on documentation. Your suggestion that tenants keep detailed documentation when dealing with unreasonable landlords is very good.
LAH

Hi,
Just a note to congratulate all the people who have been involved in creating this wonderful site. I did not have the time to browse too much in it yet, but I can already say that everything there is very interesting and mostly, informative and user friendly. All the information that we always wondered about in the past are now accessible, and only this is a great relief. It was about time that we had access to everything that concerned most of us about the management, maintenance and updates regarding this building and more! Once again, congratulations for this very useful site. I can now sleep better, knowing that things are in control and that…who knows…I can probably get involved too in my own way, whenever some interesting initiative pops-up in my mind. I have been living in this building for 20 years now, and I really enjoy my neighbourhood. Hopefully, things will keep improving around, so we can finally find again the quality of living that we use to have in this place…once upon a time!!!

This is a long overdue website, where tenants and others can post their opinions. Keep up the good work and I will now add mine.

One of the most common complaints in apartment buildings is the noise factor. From past experience I know how disturbing it is to have to listen to the constant trekking across uncarpeted hardwood floors in the middle of the night, or overhearing your neighbours’ frequent bickering. Wouldn’t it be so much better to have the Provincial Government make it mandatory that sound proofing material (which is relatively cheap) be placed between floors and the boundary walls of each apartment unit in future housing developments? It would significantly decrease the endless complaints and bad feelings that arise between tenants and landlords. Soundproofing an existing unit should also be an option if the tenant’s quality of life is compromised.

Being owners of a small apartment building, whenever there is a problem my husband and son go and take care of it as soon as tenants call. Isn’t that part of the responsibility that landlords and superintendents are paid for? They are there to take care of all kinds of complaints from tenants. It is good that you have provided all the links for sites where tenants can check their rights.